Outpatient Surgery Magazine Archive

Patients who are being prepped for surgery are often nervous and distracted with what’s going on around them. It’s important to ensure they comprehend and correctly confirm what’s noted on consent forms before...

Pediatric patients who undergo procedures at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis are given Worry Monsters, adorable homemade stuffed animals that help them deal with the stress of surgery....

Enhancing employee safety is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done initiative. That’s what led Brandy Ginzinger, RN, director of surgical services at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center in Orlando, to create her department’s...

Most people who make a mistake feel embarrassed, but often these experiences can be a valuable learning tool. In fact, sharing what could have gone wrong with colleagues helps them avoid similar missteps. That’s why staff...

The importance of updated anesthetic techniques has only been magnified with the increase in volume, type and complexity of outpatient procedures. Here are a few key...

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about proper instrument care than Linda Gomes. The former surgical tech used to work in the sterile processing...

More than one million joint replacements are performed each year and increasing numbers of surgeons are opting to do them with the benefit of robotic assistance...

The reprocessing of flexible endoscopes involves dozens of steps that must be performed correctly every time by staff members who follow an airtight scope handling...

Victoria Hornbeck, RN, BSN, CNOR, was recently put in charge of reimagining the between-case cleaning of orthopedic operating rooms at Northside Hospital Forsyth in...

Many surgeons put very little forethought into wound care. The thought process is that when the procedure ends, the important work is done, so dealing with closing the...